The present invention relates to computer systems, and to the diagnosis of computer system errors.
Computer systems are becoming more complex and as a direct result more difficult to diagnose when they go wrong. One area for faults resides in the memory units used in computer systems. Such memory can, for example be in the form of Dual In-line Memory Modules (DIMMs). The DIMMs are typically mounted in sockets within the computer system. Due to the solid-state nature of a DIMM it is not, however apparent from the outside when there is a fault in the DIMM.
In a computer server, for example a blade server or a thin server that forms part of a server array, when faults are diagnosed during operation, the nature of the faults are typically communicated to a remote controller. However, even in this case, the faults need to be further communicated to a service engineer who is to repair the fault. Even then, identifying the faulty DIMM may not be straightforward.
The present invention seeks to facilitate the identification of faulty components of a computer system.